{"id":322,"date":"2025-04-15T10:05:37","date_gmt":"2025-04-15T14:05:37","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/www.habersack.com\/?p=322"},"modified":"2026-03-31T11:17:03","modified_gmt":"2026-03-31T15:17:03","slug":"the-parable-of-the-midnight-friend-the-sovereignty-of-god-in-prayer","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/www.habersack.com\/?p=322","title":{"rendered":"&#8220;The Parable of the Midnight Friend &amp; the Sovereignty of God in Prayer&#8221;"},"content":{"rendered":"\n<p><strong><em><u>Luke 11:5-13<\/u><\/em><\/strong><\/p>\n\n\n\n<p><strong><em><u>&#8220;The Parable of the Midnight Friend &amp; the Sovereignty of God in Prayer&#8221;<\/u><\/em><\/strong><\/p>\n\n\n\n<p><strong><u>I. Introduction<\/u><\/strong><\/p>\n\n\n\n<ul class=\"wp-block-list\">\n<li>Context: This passage follows Jesus\u2019 teaching of the Lord\u2019s Prayer (Luke 11:1-4). It continues the theme of prayer, emphasizing persistence, trust, and God\u2019s sovereignty in answering prayers. A note on the Lord\u2019s Prayer as the KJV begins with \u201cOur Father, which art in heaven\u201d and it is omitted from the ESV:\n<ul class=\"wp-block-list\">\n<li>The Lord\u2019s Prayer precedes the text we study here. There is a difference between the ESV and other versions as ESV omits parts of said in Matthew 6.<\/li>\n\n\n\n<li>As a note, The 1563 Reformed Heidelberg Catechism, the King James, Martin Luther\u2019s \u201cShorter Catechism\u201d, an the 1662 \u201cBook of Common Prayer\u201d from the English Reformation all read more like the Matthew 6 passage. The LXX reads like the ESV using \u201c?????\u201d or \u201cFather\u201d where \u201cwhich art in heaven\u201d would be understood by the context.<\/li>\n\n\n\n<li>In the Matthew 6 Olivet Discourse, many of the same parables appear, was Dr. Luke is paraphrasing Mt 6? Possibly, but the disciples ask Jesus to teach them to pray the way John the Baptist prayed, and Matthew 6 is more a public setting.<\/li>\n<\/ul>\n<\/li>\n<\/ul>\n\n\n\n<p><strong><u>II. The Parable of the Midnight Friend (Luke 11:5-8)<\/u><\/strong><\/p>\n\n\n\n<p><strong><u>A. The Context of the Parable (v. 5-6)<\/u><\/strong><\/p>\n\n\n\n<ul class=\"wp-block-list\">\n<li>This is written from the first person listener (those hearing Jesus) being the one who goes to his friend at night. We are the ones without bread. We are the ones with a traveler that is hungry, and we are the one with nothing to offer. Jesus is speaking to you \/ me. We are in a panic with nothing to offer because first the visitor is unexpected, and I am unprepared. I go to my friend\u2019s house asking for three loaves because I\u2019ve lacked in my own preparation.<\/li>\n\n\n\n<li>Thought: How often are we unprepared when prayer is needed, and we are taken unawares \u2013 just like the man seeking bread, we have left off being prepared. Jesus JUST said \u201cgive us our daily bread\u201d, and the person in the parable has no bread. Not petitioning God daily? What is the message to us? In John 6:35, Jesus is called the \u201cbread of life\u201d \u2013 providing our sustenance as daily manna as was provided in the desert for 40 years to the Hebrews \u2013 and that bread only lasted for a day \u2013 and God provided again the next day. For 40 years daily. In the preceding verses, Jesus mentions \u201cour daily bread\u201d<\/li>\n<\/ul>\n\n\n\n<ul class=\"wp-block-list\">\n<li>Spiritual poverty is the result of a lack of prayer. Christ is sufficient for all needs, but are we do we pray? Does just being a Christian enough? As the man in the parable went to his friend empty-handed, so we come to Christ with nothing to offer \u2013 and how much more is Christ able to provide?<\/li>\n<\/ul>\n\n\n\n<ul class=\"wp-block-list\">\n<li>Daily bread! Asked for daily. Matthew 6:34- \u201cTake therefore no thought for the morrow: for the morrow shall take thought for the things of itself. Sufficient unto the day is the evil thereof.\u201d Daily bread lasts for today. God rained bread daily on the Hebrews to cause them to depend on Him.<\/li>\n<\/ul>\n\n\n\n<p><strong><u>B. The Reluctance of the \u201cFriend\u201d (v. 7)<\/u><\/strong><\/p>\n\n\n\n<ul class=\"wp-block-list\">\n<li>The friend initially refuses, as it was inconvenient to rise. He answers, but does not immediately rise to respond. The \u201cfriend\u201d responds with \u201cDon\u2019t bother me\u201d.<\/li>\n\n\n\n<li>Thought: Friends are willing to help when the time is right, but often not when it\u2019s inconvenient. God\u2019s readiness to hear our prayers \u2013 the contrast between the human and divine. God delights in hearing from His own children and responding to His elect in accordance with His divine will \u201cAnd it shall come to pass, that before they call, I will answer; and while they are yet speaking, I will hear.\u201d (Isaiah 65:24). God is not reluctant like our human friends.<\/li>\n<\/ul>\n\n\n\n<p><strong><u>C. The Power of Persistence (v. 8)<\/u><\/strong><\/p>\n\n\n\n<ul class=\"wp-block-list\">\n<li>The friend gives in because of the man\u2019s importunity (persistent asking). The Greek word translated as <em>importunity<\/em> implies shameless persistence. &#8220;Importunity&#8221; (???????? \u2013 Ana\u00eddeia \u2013 Ah-\u2018Ny-Day-Uh) \u2013 Luke 11:8 <em>&#8220;I say unto you, Though he will not rise and give him, because he is his friend, yet because of his importunity he will rise and give him as many as he needeth.&#8221;<\/em> (KJV) Your friend is only willing to wake and help you not because you are his friend, but because you are beating his door down. This word is only used once in the entire New Testament. It is also translated as &#8220;importunity&#8221; (KJV) or &#8220;persistence&#8221; (NIV) or \u201cimpudence\u201d (ESV).<\/li>\n\n\n\n<li>Luke 18:1-6 \u2013 the Parable of the Unjust Judge who did not regard God. Similar idea \u201clest by her continual coming she weary me\u201d. Christ summarizes in Verse 8: \u201cNevertheless when the Son of man cometh, shall he find faith on the earth?\u201d<\/li>\n\n\n\n<li>Jesus Christ in Gethsemane. Luke 22:40-44 \u2013 \u201c And being in an agony he prayed more earnestly: and his sweat was as it were great drops of blood falling down to the ground.\u201d \u201cIf you be willing\u201d. \u201cNot my will\u201d. Agony. And He went along further. Are we going further??<\/li>\n\n\n\n<li>As this word only occurs once, the implication of this word is not a singular thought in scripture at all. Persistence in \u201cmeans\u201d is not a rare thing. The puritans spoke often about the \u201cuse of means of grace\u201d. Are we using the means of grace available to us?<\/li>\n\n\n\n<li>And this: Matthew 11:12 \u2013 \u201cAnd from the days of John the Baptist until now the kingdom of heaven suffereth violence, and the violent take it by force.\u201d What does this mean? Heaven suffereth violence? Puritan pastor Thomas Watson in the 1600\u2019s said that \u201cwhile the meek inherit the earth, the violent inherit heaven.\u201d How does heaven suffer violence? It is violence to flesh so we can positionally be prepared to approach God in prayer:\n<ul class=\"wp-block-list\">\n<li>Do violence to our sins &#8211; Romans 6:6 \u2013 \u201cKnowing this, that our old man is crucified with him (that is, with Christ), that the body of sin might be destroyed, that henceforth we should not serve sin.\u201d So long as we live, we will be dealing with our flesh that would like to rise up.<\/li>\n<\/ul>\n<\/li>\n<\/ul>\n\n\n\n<ul class=\"wp-block-list\">\n<li>Do violence to our actions &#8211; Ephesians 4:22 \u2013 \u201cThat ye put off concerning the former conversation (life \/ lifestyle) the old man, which is corrupt according to the deceitful lusts\u201d.<\/li>\n\n\n\n<li>Do violence to our priorities. It takes effort to put off things of the world and distractions to read God\u2019s Word. Everything else wants to intrude and become a priority. God God\u2019s word the priority.<\/li>\n\n\n\n<li>Do violence to our thoughts &#8211; Meditate on Holy things, God\u2019s severity against sin and His holy hatred of sin, uncoupling ourselves from this world. We should be meditating on heaven, and offer violence to heaven with our prayers.<\/li>\n\n\n\n<li>Thought: Perseverance \/ importunity is a mark of genuine faith. Unbelievers do not have this, as the unbeliever only sees sanctification as a waste of time. This does not mean we can force God\u2019s hand because His will is determined, but it illustrates God\u2019s ordained means \u2014 He commands us to persist in prayer as part of His sovereign plan \u2013 it is commanded.\n<ul class=\"wp-block-list\">\n<li>Prayer does not change God\u2019s mind, but aligns us with His will (1 John 5:14-15) \u201cAnd this is the confidence that we have in him, that, if we ask any thing according to his will, he heareth us: And if we know that he hear us, whatsoever we ask, we know that we have the petitions that we desired of him.\u201d<\/li>\n\n\n\n<li>*With Abraham on the Plains of Mamre in Genesis 28, God\u2019s mind was settled, but Abraham left off his persistence under the assumption that there would be ten righteous in Sodom. The destruction of Sodom and Gomorrah was settled, but had Abraham continued to ask, he could have learned the full intention of God.*<\/li>\n<\/ul>\n<\/li>\n\n\n\n<li>Jeremiah in Lamentations 3:55-58 \u201cI called upon thy name, O Lord, out of the low dungeon. Thou hast heard my voice: hide not thine ear at my breathing, at my cry. Thou drewest near in the day that I called upon thee: thou saidst, Fear not. O Lord, thou hast pleaded the causes of my soul; thou hast redeemed my life.\u201d Jeremiah gives thanks even from his lowest despair.<\/li>\n<\/ul>\n\n\n\n<ul class=\"wp-block-list\">\n<li>Jonah 2: 2-9 \u201cAnd said, I cried by reason of mine affliction unto the Lord, and he heard me; out of the belly of hell cried I, and thou heardest my voice. For thou hadst cast me into the deep, in the midst of the seas; and the floods compassed me about: all thy billows and thy waves passed over me. Then I said, I am cast out of thy sight; yet I will look again toward thy holy temple. The waters compassed me about, even to the soul: the depth closed me round about, the weeds were wrapped about my head. I went down to the bottoms of the mountains; the earth with her bars was about me for ever: yet hast thou brought up my life from corruption, O Lord my God. When my soul fainted within me I remembered the Lord: and my prayer came in unto thee, into thine holy temple. They that observe lying vanities forsake their own mercy. But I will sacrifice unto thee with the voice of thanksgiving; I will pay that that I have vowed. Salvation is of the Lord.\u201d Jonah gives thanks even from his lowest despair.<\/li>\n<\/ul>\n\n\n\n<p><strong><u>III. The Call to Prayer: Ask, Seek, Knock (Luke 11:9-10)<\/u><\/strong><\/p>\n\n\n\n<p><strong><u>A. Threefold Command (v. 9)<\/u><\/strong><\/p>\n\n\n\n<ul class=\"wp-block-list\">\n<li><em>Ask<\/em> \u2013 Demonstrates humility, acknowledging our dependence on God. ????? (<em>aite?<\/em>)<\/li>\n\n\n\n<li><em>Seek<\/em> \u2013 Implies diligence in pursuing God\u2019s will. ????? (<em>z?te?<\/em>)<\/li>\n\n\n\n<li><em>Knock<\/em> \u2013 Requires perseverance in faith. ????? (<em>krou?<\/em>)<\/li>\n\n\n\n<li>&#8220;Ask, Seek, Knock&#8221; (A Continuous Action) \u2013 Luke 11:9-10 <em>&#8220;Ask, and it shall be given you; seek, and ye shall find; knock, and it shall be opened unto you.&#8221;<\/em> \u00a0These verbs are in the present active imperative tense, meaning continuous action: \u00a0&#8220;Keep on asking&#8221; &#8220;Keep on seeking&#8221; &#8220;Keep on knocking&#8221;.<\/li>\n\n\n\n<li>Thought: These verbs\u2019 tense are emphasizing ongoing, consistent, urgent prayer. However, only the elect will persist in true prayer, because God has first drawn them to Himself (John 6:44) as no one comes to Christ unless the Father has drawn him in. James 4:8 \u2013 &#8220;Draw near to God, and he will draw near to you.\u201d The use of means (prayer) and method (importunity) are declared in scripture. Those not regenerated by God may speak and speak much, but will not be heard.<\/li>\n<\/ul>\n\n\n\n<p><strong><u>B. The Certainty of God\u2019s Answer (v. 10)<\/u> <\/strong>&nbsp;&#8220;For every one that asketh receiveth; and he that seeketh findeth; and to him that knocketh it shall be opened.&#8221;<\/p>\n\n\n\n<ul class=\"wp-block-list\">\n<li>Persistence brings us into alignment with God\u2019s will. Why? Because Jesus has said so in the text.<\/li>\n\n\n\n<li>God hears the prayers of His children, though He may not always answer as we expect. It can be yes, no, or later \u2013 hence the need for importunity. An answer of \u201cYes\u201d is always a blessing and reveals we are in alignment with the will of God, and often the answer of No is also a blessing \u2013 we may not now see what was avoided or what we may have been saved from or we may have been asking for a lesser blessing when God wants to answer with His best. Not our best.<\/li>\n\n\n\n<li>An example of \u201clater importunity\u201d would be Revelation 6:9-11 \u201cAnd when he had opened the fifth seal, I saw under the altar the souls of them that were slain for the word of God, and for the testimony which they held:\u00a0 And they cried with a loud voice, saying, How long, O Lord, holy and true, dost thou not judge and avenge our blood on them that dwell on the earth? And white robes were given unto every one of them; and it was said unto them, that they should rest yet for a little season, until their fellowservants also and their brethren, that should be killed as they were, should be fulfilled.\u201d Later for these saints was yet in heaven \/ yet they were still importune toward the throne of grace. God will eventually answer.<\/li>\n\n\n\n<li>Often we fail because of our lack of faith and perseverance.<\/li>\n\n\n\n<li>Thought: Prayer is not a blank check for receiving whatever we want. God answers prayers according to His will, not ours (James 4:2b-3 \u201cye have not, because ye ask not. Ye ask, and receive not, because ye ask amiss, that ye may consume it upon your lusts., Romans 8:27 \u201cAnd he that searcheth the hearts knoweth what is the mind of the Spirit, because he maketh intercession for the saints according to the will of God.\u201d The elect will ultimately seek spiritual rather than carnal blessings (Matthew 6:33 \u201cBut seek ye first the kingdom of God, and his righteousness; and all these things shall be added unto you\u201d). Let us not continue to pray in the give me, give me, give me attitude, but in \u201cwhatever you deem to be the best for me, Lord\u201d attitude.<\/li>\n<\/ul>\n\n\n\n<p><strong><u>IV. The Father\u2019s Goodness in Answered Prayer (Luke 11:11-13)<\/u><\/strong><\/p>\n\n\n\n<p><strong><u>A. Earthly Fathers and Their Gifts (v. 11-12) \u2013 <\/u><\/strong>Let me develop a thought<strong>:<\/strong><\/p>\n\n\n\n<ul class=\"wp-block-list\">\n<li>&#8220;If a son shall ask bread of any of you that is a father, will he give him a stone?&#8221; Some translations (ESV) uses the ask of a fish and giving a serpent. The idea is the same. God will not give His child something harmful \u2013 He is a good God Whom loves His children. We want God\u2019s will and His best. God wants to give us His best.<\/li>\n\n\n\n<li>Thomas Watson, \u201cHeaven Taken my Storm\u201d &#8211; In the Book of Esther, she stands before the King Asashuerus with his golden scepter and tells Esther:\u00a0 5:3 \u201cThen said the king unto her, What wilt thou, queen Esther? and what is thy request? it shall be even given thee to the half of the kingdom.\u201d We have a Heavenly Father Whom loves us and tells His children: Luke 12:32 \u2013 \u201cFear not, little flock; for it is your Father&#8217;s good pleasure to give you the kingdom.\u201d Not a half kingdom, but the entire kingdom. That is the goodness of our Heavenly Father. We want God\u2019s will and His best. God wants to give us His best.<\/li>\n\n\n\n<li>1 Corinthians 3:21-23 \u201cTherefore let no man glory in men. For all things are yours; Whether Paul, or Apollos, or Cephas, or the world, or life, or death, or things present, or things to come; all are yours; And ye are Christ&#8217;s; and Christ is God&#8217;s.\u201d There is not one single thing that God is not willing to give you in accordance with His will. Not one thing. If there was one single thing that was held back, then scripture would be wrong when it says \u201call things\u201d. (The End of the Wicked Contemplated by the Righteous \u2013 Jonathan Edwards). We want God\u2019s will and His best. God wants to give us His best.<\/li>\n\n\n\n<li>The partition between the Holy Place and the Holy of Holies was a curtain and not a door, and at the death of Christ, the veil was torn in twain from the top to the bottom giving us the same access as the priest. We can ask God our heart\u2019s delight because we now have access. Mark 15:38. ?????????? \u2013 it is finished and forever stands complete. And we can ask. We want God\u2019s will and His best. God wants to give us His best.<\/li>\n\n\n\n<li>Even sinful parents give good gifts to their children, and the general graces of God are also shed on the ungodly to reinforce the goodness of God generally to mankind, but He will not hear their prayer regardless of importunity.<\/li>\n\n\n\n<li>Thought: If sinful fathers provide for their children, how much more will the perfectly sovereign and good God provide for His elect? Are we asking amiss for lesser or lower things? If the cattle on a thousand hills belong to Him, too often we come to God as a pauper forgetting the knowledge that we approach the One Whom spoke the worlds into existence and sustains them with the Word of His power. We want God\u2019s will and His best. God wants to give us His best. This leads us to this:<\/li>\n<\/ul>\n\n\n\n<p><strong><u>B. Here is the BEST AND THE GOAL OF ASKING &#8211; The Gift of the Holy Spirit (v. 13)<\/u><\/strong><\/p>\n\n\n\n<ul class=\"wp-block-list\">\n<li>After going this far in the study, I am sorry to disappoint you to say God\u2019s best for you isn\u2019t a new car, new house, perfect health, new clothes. New job. God\u2019s best is the presence of His Holy Spirit.<\/li>\n\n\n\n<li>&#8220;How much more shall your heavenly Father give the Holy Spirit to them that ask him?&#8221; &#8220;How Much More&#8221;: ???? ?????? (<em>pos? mallon<\/em>). A rhetorical formula used in Jewish argumentation with Jesus arguing from the lesser to the greater:<\/li>\n\n\n\n<li>This passage parallels Matthew 7:11, where Jesus speaks of giving <em>good gifts<\/em>. Here we see the \u201cDivine Passive\u201d \u2013 it shall be given, you shall find, it shall be opened. This is akin to digging for a buried treasure. Not forced on you, but given freely to those that are willing to ask persistently.<\/li>\n\n\n\n<li>Here, the ultimate gift is the Holy Spirit\u2014the greatest blessing a believer can receive.<\/li>\n\n\n\n<li>Thought:\u00a0 The Spirit\u2019s presence in a believer\u2019s life is proof of election (Ephesians 1:13-14 \u201cIn him you also, when you heard the word of truth, the gospel of your salvation, and believed in him, were sealed with the promised Holy Spirit, who is the guarantee of our inheritance until we acquire possession of it, to the praise of his glory.\u201d). The unsaved pray for material things, but only the elect hunger for the Spirit (Psalm 42:1-2 \u201cAs a deer pants for flowing streams, so pants my soul for you, O God. My soul thirsts for God, for the living God.\u201d) God grants the Holy Spirit to those whom He has chosen\u00a0 &#8211; Acts 2:39 \u201cFor the promise is for you and for your children and for all who are far off, everyone whom the Lord our God calls to himself\u201d. That is, only His elect.<\/li>\n\n\n\n<li>The Holy Spirit will assist you in \u201cseeing God\u201d. We cannot apprehend God without the indwelling of the Holy Spirit. We cannot apprehend God without His Word \u2013 which is illuminated by the Holy Spirit. When we properly apprehend God through the Holy Spirit, many things will happen to us.<ul><li>We will purify our hearts<\/li><\/ul><ul><li>We will highly esteem His Word<\/li><\/ul>\n<ul class=\"wp-block-list\">\n<li>We will become humble before Him<\/li>\n<\/ul>\n<\/li>\n<\/ul>\n\n\n\n<p><strong><u>V. Application: The Proper Approach to Prayer<\/u><\/strong><\/p>\n\n\n\n<p><strong><u>1. The Sovereignty of God in Prayer<\/u><\/strong><\/p>\n\n\n\n<ul class=\"wp-block-list\">\n<li>God has decreed all things from eternity past (Ephesians 1:11 \u201cIn him we have obtained an inheritance, having been predestined according to the purpose of him who works all things according to the counsel of his will\u201d). Yet, He commands us to pray because prayer is His ordained means to accomplish His will. Prayer does not change God\u2019s plan, but it changes our hearts to align with His purposes. We are His children. We May not see His complete outcome as He does, but He still implores us to pray with importunity to seek His will for our lives.<\/li>\n<\/ul>\n\n\n\n<p><strong><u>2. Praying According to God&#8217;s Will<\/u><\/strong><\/p>\n\n\n\n<ul class=\"wp-block-list\">\n<li>True, effectual prayer is not about manipulating God (because you can\u2019t), but about seeking His will (1 John 5:14 \u201cAnd this is the confidence that we have toward him, that if we ask anything according to his will he hears us\u201d). Where can see find God\u2019s will? From God\u2019s Word. You will not find it in the newspapers or on TV or the internet. God has chosen to reveal Himself in one place, and that is in His Word. Luke 16:17 \u2013 \u201cAnd it is easier for heaven and earth to pass, than one tittle of the law to fail.\u201d Is there freedom in asking? Yes, so long as it agrees with His will \u2013 period.<\/li>\n\n\n\n<li>The Holy Spirit intercedes for believers when they do not know what to pray for (Romans 8:26 \u201cLikewise the Spirit helps us in our weakness. For we do not know what to pray for as we ought, but the Spirit himself intercedes for us with groanings too deep for words\u201d). When we lack words, He takes over. If you let Him.<\/li>\n\n\n\n<li>Sometimes, those praying are left empty. There may be reasons:\n<ul class=\"wp-block-list\">\n<li>Are you seeking in pride and not in humility?<\/li>\n\n\n\n<li>Are you seeking diligently? Too many are lazily seeking in prayer. The one in the Song of Solomon desired her love, but only looked in bed first \u2013 it required her to search more earnestly in the city and broader ways \u2013 Song of Solomon 3:1-2.<\/li>\n\n\n\n<li>We are not searching with all our heart: Jeremiah 29:13 \u201cAnd ye shall seek me, and find me, when ye shall search for me with all your heart.\u201d<\/li>\n<\/ul>\n<\/li>\n<\/ul>\n\n\n\n<p><strong><u>3. The Greatest Gift: The Holy Spirit<\/u><\/strong><\/p>\n\n\n\n<ul class=\"wp-block-list\">\n<li>Many seek earthly blessings, but the greatest request we can make is for more of God Himself. The Holy Spirit is the seal of our salvation and the power for sanctification (Ephesians 1:13-14), and like the Greeks at the feast in John 12:21 \u201cwe would see Jesus\u201d \u2013 make having more of God your goal in life. The presence of the Holy Spirit is not manifest in a \u201csign gift\u201d, or other outward physical manifestation, but comes in the confidence that you belong to Him and have assurance of salvation. The Holy Spirit is parakl?tos (??????????) means &#8220;called alongside&#8221; or &#8220;one who is called&#8221;. It&#8217;s a verbal adjective that&#8217;s often used to describe someone who is called to help in court.\u00a0In Christ, you are never alone, but have the help of the Holy Spirit \u2013 the third person of the Trinity \u2013 who is referred to as \u201cHe\u201d by Jesus. John 16:13- \u201cHowbeit when he, the Spirit of truth, is come, he will guide you into all truth: for he shall not speak of himself; but whatsoever he shall hear, that shall he speak: and he will shew you things to come.\u201d<\/li>\n<\/ul>\n\n\n\n<p><strong><u>4. The Assurance of God&#8217;s Goodness<\/u><\/strong><\/p>\n\n\n\n<ul class=\"wp-block-list\">\n<li>God does not always grant our requests immediately, but He always gives what is best. Often, God withholds lesser blessings to give greater spiritual gifts and blessings. Jesus pointed to the Holy Spirit as the highest gift, explaining that God gives spiritual blessings more readily than earthly ones. Seek the best gifts.<\/li>\n<\/ul>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"<p>Luke 11:5-13 &#8220;The Parable of the Midnight Friend &amp; the Sovereignty of God in Prayer&#8221; I. Introduction II. The Parable of the Midnight Friend (Luke 11:5-8) A. The Context of the Parable (v. 5-6) B. The Reluctance of the \u201cFriend\u201d (v. 7) C. The Power of Persistence (v. 8) III. The Call to Prayer: Ask, &hellip; <\/p>\n<p class=\"link-more\"><a href=\"https:\/\/www.habersack.com\/?p=322\" class=\"more-link\">Read more<span class=\"screen-reader-text\"> &#8220;&#8220;The Parable of the Midnight Friend &amp; the Sovereignty of God in Prayer&#8221;&#8221;<\/span><\/a><\/p>\n","protected":false},"author":1,"featured_media":0,"comment_status":"closed","ping_status":"closed","sticky":false,"template":"","format":"standard","meta":{"footnotes":""},"categories":[1],"tags":[],"class_list":["post-322","post","type-post","status-publish","format-standard","hentry","category-uncategorized"],"_links":{"self":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.habersack.com\/index.php?rest_route=\/wp\/v2\/posts\/322","targetHints":{"allow":["GET"]}}],"collection":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.habersack.com\/index.php?rest_route=\/wp\/v2\/posts"}],"about":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.habersack.com\/index.php?rest_route=\/wp\/v2\/types\/post"}],"author":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.habersack.com\/index.php?rest_route=\/wp\/v2\/users\/1"}],"replies":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.habersack.com\/index.php?rest_route=%2Fwp%2Fv2%2Fcomments&post=322"}],"version-history":[{"count":1,"href":"https:\/\/www.habersack.com\/index.php?rest_route=\/wp\/v2\/posts\/322\/revisions"}],"predecessor-version":[{"id":323,"href":"https:\/\/www.habersack.com\/index.php?rest_route=\/wp\/v2\/posts\/322\/revisions\/323"}],"wp:attachment":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.habersack.com\/index.php?rest_route=%2Fwp%2Fv2%2Fmedia&parent=322"}],"wp:term":[{"taxonomy":"category","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.habersack.com\/index.php?rest_route=%2Fwp%2Fv2%2Fcategories&post=322"},{"taxonomy":"post_tag","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.habersack.com\/index.php?rest_route=%2Fwp%2Fv2%2Ftags&post=322"}],"curies":[{"name":"wp","href":"https:\/\/api.w.org\/{rel}","templated":true}]}}